Scene from Hardin County Farm Museum Harvest Festival
Courtesy of the Hardin County Community Development Council

The dictionary defines agriculture as: The science, art, and business
of cultivating soil, producing crops and raising livestock. Agriculture has been
the dominate industry in Hardin County since it was established in the mid-19th
century, although it has evolved and changed over time.

The earliest farms
were of a subsistence nature, feeding the immediate family. By 1860, 11 mill sites
were located on the Iowa River in Hardin County. These early mills processed wheat
into flour. Wheat was the chief agricultural product grown; flour was ground for
vital domestic food use and for sale to new immigrants and other markets.

After the 1850s, it became increasingly apparent to Iowa farmers that more money
could be made from corn and other feed grains grown for livestock consumption
than that grown for human consumption. The cost of shipping grain to the east
was prohibitive, but cheap Iowa corn could be fed to hogs and cattle, which in
turn were sold at nearby markets. This shift in farming created a new demand for
storing large amounts of grain at the farm site, which resulted in the development
of the corn crib. On some farms, the corn crib was even larger than the barn.

Aerial view of Hardin County's agricultural
landscapeCourtesy of the Hardin County Community Development Council

The Civil War created a lull in Iowa's growth and immigration, but the
period after the war saw a significant land use change in the expansion of railroads,
stagecoach and wagon roads and bridges. Section line county roads were increasingly
laid out according to the legal township and range pattern superimposed upon Iowa
by the national government land surveys. This grid pattern on the landscape has
greatly influenced farmstead location and field placement over time.

By the
late 19th century, the conversion from wheat to predominantly corn and livestock
production was nearly complete, and grain elevators on county roads and rail lines
rapidly replaced gristmills along the river. These storage and shipping points
have evolved into multimillion bushel storage silo facilities. These silos are
now affectionately known as the "Prairie Sentinels."

Increased mechanization
had a profound effect on farming in Hardin County. The first machines adopted
were gas and steam powered engines--used as stationary and mobile power sources
for the many chores around the farm. Tractors and motorized harvesting equipment
were introduced next. Early tractors were steam powered goliath machines, followed
later by gasoline and then diesel propelled models. These tractors expanded the
field work capabilities of the farmer. What started as the single blade plow pulled
by oxen and horse has evolved into 12 row implements towed behind gigantic turbo-charged
tractors with hundreds of horsepower. This mechanization of agriculture was completed
around 1970.

Another important aspect of the agricultural industry is livestock.
This too has experienced major changes over time. In the state's early history,
every farm had at least one milk cow, a dozen hogs and several chickens. Today
most cattle, swine and poultry are concentrated at a few large industrial operations.
The operations consist of large stand-alone buildings, in contrast to the traditional
cluster of farm buildings. In fact the size of the barn was often determined by
the livestock number, thus dictating the required hay storage as animal shelter
is necessary for the Iowa winters. That need is no longer.

Historic postcard view depicting the barn and other
agricultural buildings of the Ellsworth Stock FarmCourtesy of the
Hardin County Community Development Council

Iowa's
barns continue to stand as emblems of prosperity of past eras as well as the continual
changes in agriculture. The barn was the initial center of the agricultural operation
before this building became obsolete with the adoption of machines that could
perform the same jobs previously done by farm animals. Many barns now suffer from
a lack of maintenance, demolition or loss due to wind or fire. From 1830 to 1920,
there were an estimated 100,000 barns built in Iowa, 180 of which were round or
multisided. Less than half of these barns survive today, and more are being lost
at a rate of 1,000 per year. Many concerned citizens are now striving to save
and protect those that remain, so that future generations and visitors to the
state can experience this era of Iowa history.

The use of hybrid seed for commercial
production is recognized to be an Iowan's invention through the Wallace family
and what is now the Pioneer Seed Company. The idea of purchasing seed rather than
using seed carefully sorted from previous year's production changed agronomic
agriculture. The earliest seed company in Hardin County was located in Ackley,
which is also the location of one of the nation's largest canning facilities.
For years this area has been the sweet corn capital of Iowa. The technology of
biogenetics for resistance and other production and processing traits makes the
requirement of planting commercial varieties nearly mandatory.

View of a current Hardin County agricultural complexCourtesy of the Hardin County Community Development Council

The importance of soil fertility and its impact on farming is well documented.
Fertilization of the soils has moved from animal wastes to commercial fertilizers
and has arrived at a blend of the two. Where large-scale livestock operations
exist, huge tracts of cropland are covered with manure to aid in the plant production.
Where those are not readily available, commercial fertilizers are the application
of choice. The basic nutrients from animals or the commercial source are applied
according to laboratory information in a closely monitored rate.

It is often
said that American agriculture is the last great family business to vertically
integrate into a corporate structure. Families that used to operate on 160 acres
now operate with employees on 5,000 to 6,000 acres and more. The future of American
agriculture is one of merging the laboratory and the farmer. Public and private
discovery of food technology involving all in the food chain from production to
the consumer and the quick acceptance of those discoveries has become the agricultural
industry standard. Increasing the efficiency, expanding the utility, developing
specific attributes and creating new varieties with specific characteristics define
our future. Value-added agriculture, which began with the basic plan of selling
grain as meat with grain and livestock production on the single farm operation
continues to have validity. Nevertheless, vertically integrated agriculture operations
producing a single product are more common. Chemistry, genetics, botany, zoology
and their interrelationship creates a new agricultural family that increases the
difficulty of defining where the farm gate is located. Additional concerns of
food, fiber and energy production offers new challenges for tomorrow's farmer
never imagined in history. Our ability of successfully collaborating among all
who are involved in the science, art and business of cultivating the soil, producing
crops and raising livestock will determine the future of Iowa, this nation and
our world as we struggle to feed, clothe and house a population of more than six
billion.